


All The Promises

by The Space Bard (GraceJordan)



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Dancing in the Rain, F/M, No Shepard Without Vakarian, Shakarian flirting, first I love you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:29:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24145909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GraceJordan/pseuds/The%20Space%20Bard
Summary: Anya takes Garrus on a special date, but something that goes wrong instead goes very right
Relationships: Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian
Comments: 6
Kudos: 24





	All The Promises

The last time she had been on Anhur, it wasn’t a great memory. Her new unit had been sent there to keep an eye on the racial unrest between the Batarians and humans on the planet. She spent half of it stressed and lonely, the other half still mourning the unburied squad on Akuze. 

But fuck, was the planet beautiful. Late night walks across the city gardens, staring up at the stars, were the thing that kept her floating. And the first time she felt an Anhur rain on her skin, Anya found a secluded park bench and cried for the first time since her friends died. 

Then she got transferred to Captain Anderson’s ship and she became the Commander everyone needed her to be. 

While it wasn’t a paradise, Anhur was dear to her heart. And today was supposed to be special, too.

Of course, though, the rain wasn’t exactly agreeing. 

Tucked under a large tree, Anya was cuddled up close to a carapace she knew very well, his arm resting lazily behind her back, her arms crossed over her knees. As the water poured from the skies, masking them under the boughs, it was so heavy and thick, Anya Shepard sighed. 

There went her wholesome date idea. Leaning into Garrus’ shoulder, Anya said, “Sorry that the date’s ruined.” She snorted and threw her arms out, gesturing at the wet landscape around them. If she didn’t laugh, she might’ve been frustrated enough to cry, so that was definitely off the table. “Typical that I try to show off my favorite planet and instead it starts raining.” 

“When has a mission ever gone quite right?” Garrus met her eyes, those bright blue irises of his one of her favorite views in the galaxy. He was doing his smirk thing, where he was being snarky and sarcastic to try to cheer her up. Anya hated it, but it worked every time. He shrugged and chuckled, adding, “Granted, this is a date, not a shoot-off with mercs, but hey...” The Turian cocked his head sideways, looked around like trying to find some silver lining. “At least it’s pretty, underneath all the....wetness.”

Again, Anya found herself snorting out a laugh before bumping his shoulder with hers. “Thanks for pretending this is still a good date.”

Behind her back, his talons grabbed her waist and squeezed. “Every date with you is a good one.”

“Has a single one not ended in disaster?” Rolling her eyes, she did add, “I mean, it’s not mercs this time, but still.” 

Garrus didn’t seem to have an answer for that. He didn’t have to. They were meant to have a romantic little nature walk and to head to her favorite spot and dance in the moonlight. It was embarrassing and cheesy, but finding new places to dance was sort of their... thing now. And she couldn’t even override the bittersweet aftertaste of Anhur without everything going sideways. 

There was something beautiful about this place, that it was somewhere where she fell apart and got her first glimmers of hope back in her life. But Anya brought Garrus here because she wanted to like it even more. 

Instead, they were idiots, hiding under a tree. Frowning into her palm, Anya exhaled before rubbing her neck and asking the obvious, “What are we supposed to do now?”

After a thoughtful, still moment, Garrus stood up and said, “What we came here to do.”

“Garrus, I don’t think this starlight waltz on Anhur is going to work when it’s pouring.” 

“Says you.” She didn’t know what this idiot was up to. She opened her mouth to ask him what the hell he was doing, but he was faster than her. 

And with a swift, gentle grab of her hand, he pulled her up off the ground and into the rain. 

When the lukewarm rain hit her face, Anya squeaked in surprise. “Oh my god!” On instinct, when he launched her up here, her hands grabbed onto his shoulders. But not his talons were on the small of her back, holding her close. Anya couldn’t help but sputter, “You’re insane.” Then, she caressed his cheek with his hand and was the practical one here. Because no matter how cute whimsical rain-dancing was, she knew Turian physiology by now. “You’re going to get a cold.”

“You’re worth it.” He pressed his forehead to hers, a soft, easy gesture that they’d picked up from Turian customs and made their own. For Turians, it was a sign of trust, letting people that close. But for them? It was a promise. 

Garrus pulled her free hand to his own and, using his stupid, handsome smirk to his advantage, said, “Now get to the dancing part, ballerina.”

Even though every bone in her wanted to stay the responsible one, it was in her nature when it came to her team, she couldn’t resist that damned smile of his. Anya took the lead and started twirling them around the soaked courtyard, side-stepping left and right and giggling as her bigger steps made waves of water ripple at their feet. 

Years ago, when they started this dance of theirs, Garrus somehow had three left feet instead of two. Her toes were always getting stepped on and he was so self-conscious. But here, dancing in the rain?

He was no professional, but he was taking her breath away and sweeping her off her feet. But maybe it was because she was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. 

After more dancing than she’d done in years, and the edges of her dress were making miniature rainstorms with each twirl, they collapsed back under the tree.

And if almost on cue, Garrus sniffled. 

With a sigh, Anya wiped his already dripping nose with her sleeve (fuck that jacket anyway) and said, “I told you that you’d get sick.”

Normally, Garrus took sniffling very seriously. Turians weren’t good patients, and even more so hated colds. The one time he caught the flu, Chakwas had to practically restrain him and every three minutes she kept getting texts about him being pissed about isolation, feeling chilly, and how he would kill Grunt for giving it to him. 

It was cute, honestly, especially when she got to torment him about it.

But today, he was still smiling and his talons moved to play with the ends of her hair. Anya’s breath caught in her throat. Garrus shook his head and said, “Did you see you out there, though?” Then his eyes flicked to hers and he looked overwhelmed, in a way she hadn’t seen before. 

Scratch that. She did. The first time he looked at her after thinking she’d been two years. It was like seeing her alive after losing her. “I just want to see you smile like that again. With everything going on...”

Anya scooted closer and nodded. “I know.” She pulled his free talon into her lap and ran her fingers across the creases, the knuckles, until she couldn’t help but twine her hand with his. Though she wasn’t even looking at him, she couldn’t shut up the smile creeping onto her lips. “To think, a Turian was willing to dance in the rain just to make me smile.”

Twirling a large, wet collection of strands around his talon, he said, all smug: “A rare sight indeed. You should feel honored.” 

“Fuck yes I do. You’re shivering.” Anya moved closer, trying to share her body warmth with her stupid, cold, wonderful Turian. But there was more to it, this swelling in her chest she felt before on Anhur, but this time it didn’t hurt. This time, it was a beacon of warmth in the cold autumn rain. 

Before she’d dare to chicken out, because she couldn’t keep fighting this war without telling him, Anya looked up in Garrus’ eyes and admitted, “I love you, you know, Garrus Vakarian.”

His eyes widened a little before he coughed. “I didn’t know. But I like knowing.” She almost started laughing at the thought of him not knowing. Of all things, Anya was pretty sure she’d always been tragically obviously about it. He buried his talon in her hair, though, pulled her face closer to his, and pressed their foreheads together. “I love you, too, Anya Shepard.”

And then they promised the human way, mouths pressed together, too. 

While Anya could spend forever under this tree, basking in the glow of loving someone and being loved, she could feel his chest shiver again under her palm. 

Pulling away, Anya cocked her head towards the city.. “Now let’s get you somewhere warm. If I learned one thing from your bitching on Noveria, it’s that Turians do not like the cold.” Anya stood and pulled Garrus up from the ground. With expressive, waggling eyebrows, she promised, “We can even get you cuddled up in our hotel room with extra blankets and the heater turned up.”

Garrus slung an arm around her shoulder with a contented noise. “Mmm. Now I really love you.”

Raising an eyebrow, Anya peered at him and asked, “Oh? You didn’t really love me before?”

“Can you blame me? Promises of warmth takes romance to a whole new level for a Turian.” 

“Sure it does, big guy.” 

And they walked back to their room, cuddled close, giggling about all their stupid banter, making every little touch and promise that made them smile.

**Author's Note:**

> This was prompted by a Tumblr follower and it ended up pretty cute :)


End file.
